Fit Life

Stay Fit this Holiday Season While Giving the Gift of Healthy Living

December 1, 2011

Thanksgiving may have just passed, but the holiday season is far from over: December’s Holiday parties, cookies and airport or road trip snack foods are all ready and waiting to throw your diet and fitness plan off track.

How will you arm yourself against these potential pitfalls without losing the holiday spirit?

If you think it’s unnecessary to have a plan because holiday weight gain is just a myth, the DailyMail reported that America is the worst holiday spot for travelers because they gained an average of 8 pounds in two weeks!

Think you can just lose it after the holidays? The most recent scientific study (from 2000) found that people only gained an average of one pound, but never lost it after the holidays.

Tips from the Expert:

ACE Fitness Expert and Exercise Physiologist, Jessica Matthews, says she stays on track by working out on the day of a party or big dinner, and making healthier versions of her holiday favorites when possible. She substitutes broth for butter and makes creamy mashed cauliflower (with nonfat milk instead of buttermilk and a little parmesan cheese instead of butter) to take with her to dinners. This way, at that holiday party buffet, she can rest assured that there’s at least one dish she can splurge on.

And, even better, by sharing her healthy dish, Matthews is sharing the gift of good health with her friends and family.

To help you stay fit AND share the gift of healthy living with your loved ones, too, ACE has created FREE FitGifts – five printable coupon books filled with 20 fun, healthy tips like “Fun, Healthy Cooking,” “Mind-Over-Matter Day,” “Move of the Day,” and “Wildcard Workout.”

So whether you want to surprise yourself by drawing your healthy coupon out of the cookie jar, get your BFF on the exercise bandwagon or surprise the entire family with a “Workout Wildcard,” you can stay fit over the holidays while also making a difference in others’ lives by giving the gift of lifelong active, healthy living.

Those holiday parties and cookies will have nothing on you and your loved ones this year.

By the American Council on Exercise

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